Detective Comics #938 REVIEW - The Colony meets its match

Every other week I get excited for what has been my favorite Rebirth series so far, even more so than Tom King's current Batman series, which has been very good as well. I have to admit though that the adventures of Kate Kane AKA Batwoman and her quest to help Bruce Wayne take down her father's Batman-modeled army with the help of their own army of Batmen (Red Robin, Spoiler, Orphan and Clayface) has commanded my attention almost from the beginning. 

What makes Detective Comics the top Rebirth series right now in my opinion is the great depth of storytelling by James Tynion IV while still moving the plot forward at a smooth and solid pace every issue. It really feels like with this series more than others, there is no ink wasted on any page and every panel is important to pay attention to. Details have been exceptionally sharp in this series all the way through. 

In Detective Comics #937, The Colony had Batman in their custody......for less than five pages. He then did what he does best and created a scenario where the braintrust of this militaristic Batman-designed army was now trapped in their stronghold with him instead of the other way around. As expected, the Dark Knight held down the fort until Batwoman and the Batmen crashed the party at the end of the book. 

In this issue the battle continues, now with both armies fighting each other and Kate's father Colonel Jacob Kane wrestling with the fact that his own daughter won't support his irresponsibly dangerous plan to create a Batman army to police the world, starting with Gotham. You really get the sense that as crazy and egomaniacal as his plan might be, he really is torn that Kate not only won't join him but would actually fight him on this in favor of her cousin Bruce, the model for which Jacob's entire plan has been built on. 

You also get the feeling in this book that Batman is anything but flattered by The Colonel's efforts to build this Batman army, not only because of the brutality they have shown to this point but also because Bruce knows himself better than anyone and he doesn't want the burden or responsibility of having a killer fierce wing of the United States Armed Forces completely modeled after his style, techniques and appearance. It's not just from a guilt angle either, he legitimately considers them thieves to a point and they have stolen and perverted his very identity as a superhero. 

After seeing The Batmen train earlier in this series it's great to see them all in action here against The Colony, each of them employing their own skill set to aid Batman and Batwoman in battle at the enemy stronghold. There's plenty of humor too among the chemistry of the group, especially Clayface who for a villain has really become a vital part of this team and has helped them out a few times in the previous issues and in this issue as well. 

"Rise of the Batmen" has two more issues left in its arc and the stakes were definitely raised at the end of this issue for #939 coming up next. In spite of Bruce and Kate's resistance to Colonel Kane's plan he is bound and determined to carry it out, which is certain to make the end of this story arc as tense and high octane as one could hope reading it. It's already too long for the next one to come out. 

5 out of 5 stars - DC UNIVERSE REBIRTH: Detective Comics #938

This series runs twice a month, next issue due out August 24. 

Detective Comics #937 REVIEW - Batman meets The Colony

Detective Comics is quickly becoming my favorite book in the DC Rebirth line to this point. Seriously. As far as Batman stories go, it's starting to overtake the Batman series currently going on elsewhere with the Gotham and Gotham Girl arc. 

From the beginning, this arc of Detective Comics has been on point with great writing, splendid artwork and a compelling plot involving Kate Kane, the Batwoman, helping Bruce build a group of heroes to deal with a military trained army that has been designed to operate with the same efficiency, brutality and intelligence as the Batman himself. Yes, it's literally a Bat-Army, right down to the tech and the battle gear designs. 

What makes the story so twisted is that the army is controlled by Kate's father Jake, an armed forces general with personal ties to Bruce and the Wayne family, and it's his personal wish that his daughter would be the one to lead his Bat-Army on its cleansing tour of Gotham and other criminal enterprises across the nation. 

This has been my introduction to Batwoman since I haven't read The New 52 or any other previous major runs of DC Comics outside of a few trade paperbacks, and when I heard that the character existed I thought it was ridiculous, especially with the existence of Barbara Gordon as Batgirl. I officially stand corrected so far through four issues of this Detective Comics arc. I really like Kate Kane and the dynamic she has with Bruce, Tim Drake and the other heroes in Gotham right now. She seems to be on a different level with Bruce as they are considered family through their relationship and she looks on him almost like a brother instead of a mentor. 

That personal dynamic, especially as it relates to her father and his Batman army is also a fun one to watch right now because Kate is doing her best to try and outthink her father, not only to stop him and his brutal plans but also to prove herself capable of this mission, not only to Bruce but to her father as well. 

There's a great scene in this book that goes right on the list of classic "Batman is not trapped in here with you, you are trapped in here with Batman" scenes, where a group of guards who believe they have him captured and under control are proven to have anything but control over the situation. It's Batman at his intimidating, five-steps ahead of anticipatory best. 

Detective Comics is definitely one of my favorite books right now in DC Rebirth and the story only seems to be getting deeper into intrigue. I can't wait to see what happens next with this one. 

5 out of 5 stars - DC UNIVERSE REBIRTH: Detective Comics #937

This series is biweekly, next issue due out August 10th.